Transcript of "Strengthening Design Research Moderating Skills"

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Strengthening Moderating and Interviewing Skills§ Once I learned the basics§ And ran a couple of studies,§ Now what?§ How do I strengthen my skills? 2

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Story TimeDon’t play the notes on the page……play the musicThis applies to moderating andinterviewing too.Don’t just read the questions from the page……have a conversation 3

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The Art of Moderating and Interviewing§ Not just reading questions§ It’s also… § Building rapport with the participant § Creating a smooth conversation § Encouraging the participant to talk § Remaining objective § Listening effectively § Being human 4

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What Is Our Goal?§ To elicit honest thoughts from participants in an unbiased manner.§ “Would you like to try one of my chocolate chip oyster and herring brownies? They’re really good!”§ Sometimes it’s hard to be fully honest 5

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How Do We Get Beyond Politeness?§ In other words, we’re often polite rather than honest to strangers.§ As human beings we have a need to be socially accepted Social Acceptance > Honesty§ We guess what is expected and answer to avoid offending§ It’s second nature – we’re often not aware we’re doing it 7

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How Do We Get Beyond Politeness?Build their trust Politeness Trust Familiarity Strangers Good Friend 8

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Building Trust in an Interview1. Be trustworthy upfront2. Build rapport3. Engage in comfortable conversation4. Stay neutral and accepting 9

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1. Be Trustworthy Upfront§ Conﬁdentiality § How are you recording what is said? § Who is listening? § What will you do with the information you collect?§ Neutrality § You’re not emotionally involved in the design/project § There are no right or wrong answers § Your job is to get honest opinions§ Consent Form § Put it all in writing – using their language

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2. Build Rapport A persons name is § Greeting a Participant to that person the § Smile sweetest and most § Use their name important sound in any language. § Handshake / Warm phone greeting -­‐ Dale Carnegie § Make them feel important - sincerely§ Small Talk – Find Common Ground § Safe topics: travel to ofﬁce, trafﬁc, weather § Avoid asking direct questions § Listen and look for shared experiences Source: Carnegie, 1936.

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2. Build Rapport§ Be Empathetic § Apologize if they had trouble ﬁnding the ofﬁce § Show you understand their point of view § “Oh, it’s raining there? It is here too. I hate rainy days.”§ Inject Some Humor § Joke about yourself § Joke about the situation § Don’t joke about them§ Short version – Show them that you are human too

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3. Engage in Comfortable ConversationWhat is a Comfortable Conversation?§ Conversational cues and turn-taking are expected§ Acknowledgement tokens – “Uh huh”, etc. § Encourage the continuation of the other speaker’s talk § Usually implies that the other speaker’s prior talk is incomplete§ Some indicate change of speakership § “Yeah” – more than half the time indicates changing turns in speaking § “Yeah. I heard that the other day and…” § “Oh!” - may indicate noticing something, then transitioning to another topic § “Oh! That reminded me…”

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4. Stay Neutral and Accepting§ Ask Open-ended Questions § Start with Who, What, When, Where, Why, How?§ Really Listen § Pay attention – stay in the moment § Look at the participant § Take notes if you can § Be quiet - give them time to say what they need to

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4. Stay Neutral and Accepting§ Watch Your Reactions § Don’t show surprise § May make them think that they are giving a wrong answer § Don’t overly agree § May make them think that they are giving the right answer § Don’t be negative § Watch your tone – stay neutral and accepting § Try not to laugh

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5. Encourage them to talk§ Be Quiet! § Most agreements happen immediately. Most people delay before disagreeing.1 § If you don’t respond to their answer, it encourages them to talk more § People often delay speaking before disagreeing – give them time § Some people are uncomfortable with silence, so they will keep talking § The best way to stay neutral J Source: 1 Goodwin and Heritage, 1990.

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Building Trust in an Interview1. Be trustworthy upfront2. Build rapport3. Engage in comfortable conversation4. Stay neutral and accepting5. Be Quiet 20